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What is human resource management?
Human resource management is a broad term which covers a variety of specific topic areas. It includes many tasks related to employees, from the beginning of their service to a company until the end of it. It is important to note that different companies might deal with human resource management and work lifestyle functions in different ways.
Human resource management can include all functions related to hiring. This means that those who work in human resource management might cover the gamut of tasks in this area, including writing a job description, placing an ad, receiving resumes from applicants, and interviewing for open positions. This is one area that might be shared with people from outside of human resources; people who work in a department that is hiring might work with professionals from human resource management throughout the hiring process.
After a new employee is hired, orientation and training will likely be required. Human resource management personnel are responsible for these functions, as well. These functions are valuable to ensure that the new hire learns about the company, his or her duties, and the corporate culture. When an employee has been with a company for a certain period of time, both the employee and the employee’s supervisors might begin to consider the possibility of a promotion. Human resource management professionals can be instrumental in effecting this, as well. They can provide developmental training to provide the employee with additional valuable skills to assume a new role within the company.
Human resource management professionals are also responsible for ensuring that a company is in compliance with all labor laws and other relevant legal matters. As part of this function, they maintain policies and procedures; some of these policies and procedures would be specific to a specific company while others might be specific to a particular industry or trade.
Some functions necessarily involve collaboration between human resource management professionals and people from the employee’s individual work environment. Performance evaluations and discipline, for example, cannot be carried out solely by human resource management personnel because they must include input and agreement from supervisors.
Payroll often falls under the auspices of human resource management. It may be as simple as paying weekly salaries or as complex as collecting and tabulating time cards for people who work at a variety of wages across different shifts and include complicating factors such as overtime and incentives.
Of course, human resource management personnel are also involved when a person leaves a company. This is the case whether the departure is initiated by the company or by the employee. If the company terminates the employee, there may be additional complications related to the termination; these complications could include lawsuits, refusal to leave the premises, and so on. If the employee resigns, human resource management functions might be as simple as a final paycheck, exit interview, and recovering keys or other company property.
It is important to note that human resource management can be implemented in many different ways. For a very small company, human resource management functions might fall under the purview of one person. In a large company, these functions might be the responsibility of an entire department. Additionally, some companies might outsource some functions, such as payroll.